Blog
Launch 3.0
Published by on May 5, 2013 in 2013 Road Trip
I’m excited to share a few updates. Beginning Jan 2013 we had a huge team of one, just me. Now, including core crew, volunteers and this years road trip facilitators we’re twelve-strong. We have 40+ workshops locked in for this years roady, nearly double last year. Pheeuuwww… The momentum is growing. A few new faces behind the core team below, and you can meet this years awesome crew of workshop & screenings facilitators here.
April was a big month. I had several speaking events, including the chance to present at the Philanthropy New Zealand Conference, Creative Mornings in Auckland, Think Big up on the Kapiti Coast, the awesome ‘Youth to Leaders’ forum by AIESEC here in Wellington, and the chance to explore partnership with Te Papa and Radio New Zealand… exciting times!
Check out this sweet new animation for this years’ Film Competition – big ups to Lindsay Horner & Liz Willoughby-Martin for your mad skills on this one!
1 May was launch day. To a full-house at the NZFA in Wellington we launched this years roady, the Film Comp, our ‘Ecosystem of Awesome’, and a brand new initiative called BeCause. BeCause is a website and wrap-around campaign to find some of our most inspiring young New Zealanders and connect them up with some of NZ’s best film-makers to have their story told. If you know someone under 30 doing something awesome, nominate them and/or vote for them at because.org.nz. Huge thank you to the NZ Film Commission, Vodafone New Zealand, Spaceships, Rubber Monkey and the Interislander for their generosity. To everyone who rocked along and joined us for the evening, thank you! See the pics here.
With the Road Trip officially kicking off this coming weekend, we’re amidst ten days of intensive training and Wellington-based workshops & screenings. Here’s the Friday workshop crew from Strathmore and Seatoun – huge thank you to ESYT for hosting, and we look forward to connecting up again soon!!!
AWESOME!
2012 Roady – All wrapped up!
Published by on July 22, 2012 in 2012 Road Trip
Imagine setting out to do 50 events around New Zealand in 10 weeks. Actually, now imagine trying to make that happen. Why?! How could it benefit New Zealand? What resource would you need?
From March–June, our tiny team – Alana, Lu & myself, and some very supportive volunteers and partnering organisations did just that. From as far south as Stewart Island to Whangarei in the North and everywhere in between we lived out of backpacks and worked around the clock to deliver inspiring events around New Zealand. Fun!
Measuring Success
Now to step back, take a critical look at the project and ask – was it really worth it? When you’re amidst the swirl of events pouring your heart & soul into making stuff happen it can be hard to see things from an outside perspective. My biased answer is yes, of course it was worth it. Absolutely. There’s no telling what sparks of inspiration can lead to – even a seemingly simple conversation can change someone’s life.
>> 50 coordinated events, large & small nationwide in 10-weeks
>> events run in more than 25 towns/cities
>> 300 people took part in workshops
>> young filmmakers up-skilled & inspired to unleash their creativity
>> 600 people attended community film screenings
>> audience participants inspired by what’s happening around NZ
>> 6,000 website visitors from 100+ countries
>> media exposure in almost every district/regional newspaper
>> lot’s of offers to host us in 2013 – including Great Barrier Island!
“Guy and Lu openly shared with us their experiences and achievements in the film industry. We were very touched by their evident core values, film making ethics and desire to make a difference in the world. It was wonderful to see young film makers passionate about what they are doing and sharing it with youth of Aotearoa. Guy and his team motivated my students to interpret film from a whole new perspective. Presenting a relaxed, collaborative teaching style, my students were inspired to seek new ways of storytelling and entertaining an audience. I would highly recommend this course to all secondary teachers of Media Studies.” ~ Haley Gould, St Catherines College – Wellington
THANK YOU
The Inspiring Stories 2012 Roady was possible thanks to generous support from many people & organisations. Special thanks to the NZ Film Commission, Spaceships (for the van!), YHA New Zealand (for the accommodation!), Ministry of Youth Development, and the Vodafone NZ Foundation for your continued support. A huge thanks also to the many supporters, participants and helpers along the way – we look forward to connecting with you again next year!
Alana, Guy, Lu & Liz
Improvements for 2013 Road Trip
1. Two crews – North Island + South Island at the same time
2. Confirm venues & event partners with much more lead up time!
3. Larger support team from home-base (Wellington)
4. Increase marketing & media engagement from home-base
5. Increas on-road film production of local people/projects
What Next?!
July 31st – Film Competition Deadline // $1000 First Prize – Enter Now >>
Imagine if every New Zealander unleashed their potential to change the world. What would it take to make that happen? We thought we’d explore that question a little deeper, so to get started we booked Te Papa. Imagine 320 people converging on Wellington to explore 21st century challenges, to unleash ideas and develop skills to lead New Zealand forwards through creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. Check the Festival website in August for more info!
2012 Roady – the home straight
Published by on June 24, 2012 in 2012 Road Trip, Workshops
Kia Ora!
Kei te pehea koe?
Kei te pai! Seriously, stoked to catch up with my old friend & flatmate Hori Haweti-Barsdell in Ohiwa – back home for Uni holidays. A passionate musician, surfer, and student – this lad has a big heart for native trees – in his element, back home and getting amongst it!
It’s bizzare to think we’ve been on the road for nearly 10-weeks. Yet it’s seriously hard to pin-point a single stand out workshop or screening – there’s been so many goodies. Thinking back to my time at High School I don’t think I came close to an understanding of 21st century issues as the young people we’ve connected with through the workshops. Yesterday we got to work with one of the biggest crews so far – Gisborne Boys High School – thanks to Haley, their champion Media Studies teacher. Their issues spanned climate change, poverty, inequality and closer to home – domestic violence, offshore oil drilling & pine forestry.
The flip-side of 21st century issues is local solutions – here’s the crew from our second Gizzy workshop brainstorming local people & projects leading change. It always brings a big smile to my face to see so much community connection unleashed!
Five weeks to go – hundreds of filmmakers from around New Zealand are now well underway for the Inspiring Stories Film Competition. Now with a major cash prize it’s a pretty appealing opportunity – anyone can enter, step one is to register your team ASAP.
Back at base – Lu show’s the cat a thing or two at the YHA Gisborne. Early morning yoga before hitting the road onwards to Napier…
Onwards – Napier, Masterton, Porirua, Wellington – welcome to the final week of the Inspiring Stories 2012 Roady!
North Island Roady Underway – Taranaki, Waikato…!
Published by on May 29, 2012 in 2012 Road Trip, Film Screenings, Workshops
Imagine running 50 events around New Zealand in ten weeks. If you had of asked me back in February I’d have had no idea this was possible – we had no vehicle, team, nor resources to make it happen. Stories of struggle are powerful – all of us have them. Time and again this road trip has hit home that so many New Zealanders are working to make their communities better places to live, work and play. With a successful South Island roady complete, we’re pretty ecstatic about what the North Island will offer!
Spaceship packed. Goodbye to the team, friends, whanau and two-weeks of quality office time in Wellington. First stop – Taranaki for a film screening & workshop. 2011 Young New Zealander of the year Jamie Fenton joined us for the workshop to share her experience with innovation – making things happen, and the opportunities young Kiwis have to dream and make this world a better place.
Kindly hosted by WITT, the next generation of young filmmakers came together to explore 21st century challenges, ways that young Kiwis can and are making a difference in Taranaki, develop their filmmaking skills and kick-start a short film project for the competition. What better way to spend a rainy Sunday?!
After a massive day in New Plymouth we packed the van, caught up with Tricia Thompson for a cuppa then headed for Solscape, Raglan. Hands down one of the best back-packer-style eco retreats in the country, Solscape is hotspot for tourists and locals alike. Running a film screening event here was a dream come true – huge thanks to Phil & Bernadette for hosting us!
Sleepy-eyed at 7am, we left Raglan for Hamilton. We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day of filmmaking goodness hosted by ArtMakers Trust, sharing skills & experience with a crew of young people engaged in their alternative education programme. We were totally blown away by the creativity, life experience and maturity of these guys – and great to have a handful of mentors involved in the day too! Ah, life is good!
Next stop, Whangarei – workshop & screening Thursday 31st May. Yeeaaah!
Palmerston North // Workshop & Presentation at Reel Earth
Published by on May 16, 2012 in 2012 Road Trip, Workshops
We left Wellington in darkness at 5am. Eager, excited we arrived to a beautiful sunrise peaking through dark rain clouds across Palmerston North farmland. Greeted by Alan, from Palmy’s very own Youth Space. What would the day bring? Who would be there?
I was amazed at how diverse the workshop crew was. A wide range of backgrounds, interests & skill levels meant connections and ideas-a-plenty. We were really lucky to have three ‘changemakers’ – Vanisa, Edward, and Natalie all sharing their projects & passions. As well as the infamous Steve Barr share his humble Hollywood filmmaking & storytelling expertise with the crew – the knowledge and generosity of this guy always blows me away!
The day was epic. Our Wellington-based rock, Alana Barber – who’s been courageously locking down road trip logistics for the past six weeks took part in her very first workshop. It was amazing to share this experience – here’s Alana below with her vision for New Zealand. Great to have you there for the day Alana!!!
And then there was Tawa. Having grown up in a full-immersion te reo maori environment, he spoke only his native language til the age of 13 before learning english. This boy has some amazing stories to share –stories of family hardship and struggle, and casually, he also plays five different musical instruments… eh?!
We were lucky enough to have Tim Hamilton, a young Palmy-based filmmaker join us at the workshop too – if you haven’t heard of parkour, you’ve got to check this out!
After an action-packed, and very memorable workshop we headed down to the Reel Earth Film Festival, where I gave a Keynote presentation about the vision, challenges & learnings through getting Inspiring Stories Trust off the ground. Huge respect to Dorothee & Victoria for organising Reel Earth & amazing opportunities this festival provides for locals and touring filmmakers alike. Another big thanks to Steve, Vanisa, Natalie, Edward, Alan (Youth Space), Tim, Alana & Lu for sharing your time – and of course the crew of young filmmakers from the day – EPIC!
Up the Kaikoura Coastline… to the Blenheim Workshop!
Published by on May 16, 2012 in 2012 Road Trip, Workshops
It’s always a treat heading up the Kaikoura coastline – there’s just something about big snow-capped mountains that close to the sea. Great surf too, if you’re lucky enough to score a swell on your way through!
It felt surreal arriving in Blenheim for the last workshop of the South Island. The past four weeks seem to have happened so quickly. With face-to-face connections with more than 300 people so far it’s hard to know what those little sparks could grow into.
Above, Jody from Marlborough Boys High – his vision for a bully-free New Zealand is something we’ve come across a few times now. Jody emailed us this through just a few hours after the workshop: “today was great! I learnt heaps about my camera, storyboarding and editing. The interactive parts where we got to use the cameras and make a short film was really helpful. The 3 main steps of editing you showed us is gonna help me so much with my assessment and the film that I am entering in the Inspiring Stories Competition.”
Massive thanks to Mr Searle at Marlborough Boys College for hosting us. It was a good day with a group of passionate young leaders who already seem to be savvy with 21st century challenges and connected with good things happening in the local community. Looking forward to seeing your films in the competition!
Pheuww…. South Island. Looking forward to some sleep & forward planning time back in Wellington before we launch into the North Island!!! There feels like no better time to reflect on the South Island’s adventures than on our Interislander ferry crossing, watching the sun rise over the stunning Marlborough Sounds.
Christchurch & Lyttelton // Stories of Hope
Published by on May 8, 2012 in 2012 Road Trip, Workshops
All eyes on Christchurch – the quake, the rebuild, the people. Beneath the media spotlight on this shaky city, we’ve found life on the ground is different – challenged like never before yes, grateful for support they’ve received, optimistic about moving forwards and in many cases just ‘getting on with it’.
Above, Joshua Kurene from Aranui High took part in a workshop we ran in Christchurch last year just after the big February quake. As Josh puts it, last years workshop is where it all started – the spark – that urged him to get involved in the Youth 2050 Visioning Project, co-facilitate climate leadership workshops & events around the Pacific with 350 Aotearoa, and win a youth leadership award. As well as take part in this year’s workshop as a young filmmaker, Josh also presented his journey over the past year. It’s been amazing to watch this young leader grow!
The past few days have been an amazing experience connecting with Cantabrians young and old. The filmmaking workshop at Avonside Girls High had 20 students from five different schools, short presentations from three local ‘changemakers’, and support from two young industry professionals Richie Sewell & Renee Parsons.
Lyttelton Film Screening!
Time in Lyttelton is humbling. You only have to walk around to see how much this beautiful place has been affected by the quakes. Brave faces behind every shop front greet you with a smile. There’s a strong sense of community here – different from most other places we’ve visited on this road trip so far.
Here’s one of the films we screened – a short piece by young filmmaker & friend James Muir.
Considering we only confirmed it a few days before, we were blown way by so many friendly locals coming along to the film screening event. Thanks to Lyttelton Main Primary for hosting the evening. Another huge thanks to Wendy from the Info Centre, and Sue-ellen from Project Lyttelton for your support spreading the word, and to Brindi Joy from the YHA for sharing your musical talents at intermission. To everyone who came along, thanks for an amazing evening guys!
Pheuw… the South Island leg of this road trip has been incredible, just one stop left in Blenheim before prep-time back in Wellington then launching into the North Island. Feeling very grateful to have had these opportunities, to our tiny core team – Lu Davidson, Alana Barber, and our volunteers Kavi, Owen, Danielle & Komako for your support in making this possible. MASSIVE!
Nga Mihi
Riverton, Stewart Island… epic!
Published by on April 29, 2012 in 2012 Road Trip
Words can’t really express how amazing the past few days have been. Imagine being welcomed whole-heartedly by a small community. The workshop at Aparima College in Riverton was amazing – a motivated, and enthusiastic group of young leaders passionate about making their school, community and country a better place. I’m left sitting with the bold words that ‘small town kids can do big things’.
An intense day of workshop, followed by a cosy fire-side film screening event at the Riverton Environment Centre. Humbled by the generosity and hospitality of our hosts, the Guyton’s – and the many friendly faces who attended. Inspired by the marrow spot-prize giveaways, Robyn gave us “Doug” – a prize marrow weighing no less than 3.35KG to give away on Stewart Island…
STEWART ISLAND
Stewart Island is amazing. This was my first ever visit. If you’ve never been, go. We were lucky enough to present to the whole school at Halfmoon Bay Primary, then run a workshop with the senior students. If having paradise on your doorstep wasn’t enough, these guys are decked out with macbook laptops, cameras and editing ability. They’re all under 12, and they’ve all made films before – the NZ Film Commission would be proud!
Doug made it. Having triumphed through sea-sickness and sight-seeing for the past few days he arrived in one piece, and found his new home. The Stewart Island community film screening was a real highlight – we had about 40-to-50 locals give up their Saturday evening to check out all the fuss. That’s about one fifth of the population… incrEDIBLE!
What an adventure this has been. To everyone who helped out along the way – especially the YHA New Zealand who gave us their beautiful seaside cottage for the weekend, thank you. Next stop, Dunedin.
Hello Queenstown!
Published by on April 18, 2012 in 2012 Road Trip, Workshops
6.30am, get up. Shower. Respond to 20 emails. Pack. Load the Spaceship. Drive six-hours drive from the Coast through one of the most stunning parts of New Zealand to Queenstown – coastline, lush native bush, beech forest, span two national parks to find yourself amidst the majestic mountains of Central Otago. Yo!
Wakatipu High School turned it on with freshly baked cookies for the Community Film Screening last night. We had two young filmmakers share their shorts on the big-screen for the first time – the first by Ben, exploring species biodiversity around the Otago coastline; the second by Sammy T exploring child abuse in New Zealand. Powerful. If these are the next generation of filmmakers we’re fostering here in NZ I’m excited for two reasons – one is the power of film as catalyst for change; two is the creative capacity of young people. Amazing.
A tight-knit Wakatipu High crew took part in today’s filmmaking workshop – in a sweet space kindly provided by Otago Polytech’s Centre for Sustainable Practice. Ideas, energy, and action. These girls had a really good grasp on their community, and positive local projects on the go.
Now four in, this was the tightest workshop we’ve run so far. Nineteen workshops to go as part of the national tour. It’s been a real privilege watching Lu weave her way into the workshop programme – today, totally in her element sharing some fresh perspectives and great examples on storytelling. Stoked to have her on the roady!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Upcoming events:
Friday 20th April, 8.45–4pm // Workshop, Wanaka
Saturday 21st April, 3-5pm // Film Screening, Wanaka
Saturday 21st April, 7-9pm // Film Screening, Wanaka
Tuesday 24th April, 8.45–4pm // Workshop, Riverton
Tuesday 24th April, 7-9pm // Film Screening, Riverton
